Greg Nicotero does a very good job at milking every little noise in the background for maximum skin-crawl. Nicotero has earned all the plaudits he gets for his special effects, and he's also become one of the better directors on the show's roster. He's not the best with his actors, though this episode doesn't ask that of him, but he's really good at framing shots and getting the most out of his special effects sequences (probably because he's the guy who came up with the ideas in the first place). Even if some of the sequences are funny, it's an intentional black comedy sort of way that adds some much-needed levity to an otherwise dour program.

Likewise, Scott Gimple seems to have a good idea of the direction he wants the show to take, if the first episode is an adequate measuring stick. 30 Days Without An Accident strives to strike a balance between zombie action and character moments from the cold opening onward. It's not entirely successful -something is typically lost in the first episode back after a long break as viewers try to sort out who we know and who we don't know yet. There's always a problem with feeling compelled to care about someone we don't know, but there are still a lot of series regulars that we don't know very well yet (Tyreese, Beth). Adding new cast members from the outset may not have been the best idea, even if they are characters imported from Kirkman's comic book.

Well, new showrunner Scott Gimple–responsible for some of the show’s most popular episodes, including “Pretty Much Dead Already,” “Clear” and who reportedly rewrote and show-ran last year’s blood-soaked finale–carves out a new niche for himself almost immediately. The season four premiere sees a writer fairly transparently attempting to latch onto the feeling of season two–a little more laid back (“don’t call it slow,” he would almost certainly plead) and cerebral, with the “scary movie” stuff mostly provided by periodic bursts of activity as opposed to the sustained drama and tension that defined last year.

Here's a part from a review of episode 2 that gives an idea about the possible pace of the season...

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The premiere, which airs next Sunday, was a necessary stage-setting exercise and that they managed to give as much action as they do is surprising given how much plot they needed to achieve. The episode, really, wasn’t as deliberate as bits of the first two seasons were.

They find a groove in “Infected” that calls back to some of the better season three episodes; the stakes are high but without the artificiality that The Governor injected into so much of it. Any given episode for the second half of last season, it really came down to what the crazy guy with all the guns was going to do, and while that was unpredictable, it gave the series a sense of predictability because all you had to worry about, most of the time, was that one guy. He had his people in line and the walkers were a manageable threat.

Re: The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 1 "30 Days Without an Accident" Discussion Thre

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And if the first two episodes are any indication, not only is the series not missing a beat, it’s actually growing into itself to allow new storytelling possibilities. That’s an enviable position for Scott Gimple to find himself in as the next in line.

Gimple’s been on the show since the second season, has penned a number of great episodes and instead of worrying about if he’s the next to go, or if he can follow Glen Mazzara as well as Mazzara followed Frank Darabont, he’s able to take a series that’s been around long enough that people have a familiarity with its world and tinker with it.

That’s got to be exciting. In Gimple’s case, he’s apparently putting an emphasis on broadening the characters. That’s a welcome and much-needed addition to an already very good series. Any time the audience can become more connected to the characters, to see the backstory of those characters and perhaps to change or enhance their opinions of those characters, a good storyteller will take that opportunity any time.

Even in the first two episodes, Gimple and his writers have managed to milk more backstory from a number of characters, even if it’s done with minimal screen time (as Michonne, played by Danai Gurira, deftly displays in the second hour).

But no spoilers here. And just to emphasize the direction Gimple is taking the show, despite tons of zombie action, it’s not like Rick and the gang hop in their cars, motorcycles and horses and race away. Some of that frenetic back and forth of season three is missing, but not the action. The Walking Dead still has its signature look – ultra tight shots that create panic because you’re absolutely sure a zombie is RIGHT THERE. It can still freak you out without even spilling any brains.

What feels most promising is that by establishing more of the myriad characters, you just know that once you get to know them and their stories it’s going to be a lot harder to lose them. And that’s good for the drama.